(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steering wheel apparatus that adjusts stiffness and receives a pressure and a method of controlling the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a steering wheel apparatus that adjusts stiffness and receives a pressure by which stiffness of a steering wheel is automatically adjusted based on a driving situation and a brake automatically engaged when the steering wheel is gripped at a predetermined pressure or greater in a danger situation during driving of the vehicle, and a method of controlling the same.
(b) Background Art
As generally known in the art, a steering wheel for steering a vehicle includes a rim that is gripped by a hand of a driver, and a spoke connected to an inner surface of the rim in which a horn and a remote control switch are installed. Since the rim of the steering wheel has a circular ring shape while a frame thereof being formed of a rigid body has a substantially high stiffness, that is, a hard stiffness, a grip feeling is decreased when the steering wheel is manipulated. In other words, a hand of the driver has slide. In particular, when a hand of the driver slides from a surface of the steering wheel while turning of the vehicle an accident may occur.
Further, a fatigue may be felt due to the hard stiffness of the steering wheel when the driver manipulates the steering wheel for a substantial amount of time and the chest of the driver may be damaged during a collision accident due to the hardness. A known related art discloses that an embossing tube deformed by a hydraulic pressure may be applied to a steering wheel and discloses that a PVC tube filled with compressed air may be applied to a steering wheel to decrease the risk of damage caused from the hardness.
Although the prior technologies apply a non-rigid material that has a lower stiffness to a steering wheel, the non-rigid material may only increase a grip feeling of the steering wheel and may not adjust stiffness of the steering wheel to correspond to a current situation of a driver and a driving situation. In other words, stiffness of the steering wheel may not be set to a value suitable for a preference of a driver, and stiffness of the steering wheel may not be changed based on a road situation during vehicle operation.